The Milwaukee 7

The Milwaukee 7, launched in September 2005, was formed to create a regional, cooperative economic development platform for the seven counties of southeastern Wisconsin: Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Waukesha and Washington.  Its mission is to attract, retain and grow diverse businesses and talent.

Together, these seven counties have a wealth of corporate headquarters, a pool of highly skilled workers and world-class amenities.  Competing as a region broadens our range of choices and opportunities and gives us the competitive edge that we need, today, and into the future.  Milwaukee 7 priorities include:

• Business Call Program
• Next Generation Manufacturing Council
• Talent Attraction & Retention / FUEL Milwaukee
  
• Technology Transfer
  
• Water Council
• Workforce Development / Regional Workforce Alliance / STEM7
  
  

Business Starts, Expansions & Attractions

• Leading Industries
  
• BizStarts Milwaukee
• Inner City Business Development
• Milwaukee EB-5 Visa Foreign Investor Program
  
  

Marketing/Branding

• Regional Identity & Branding

MILWAUKEE 7: ACCELERATING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Milwaukee 7 continues to build the region's capacity and accelerate
economic growth.  Through its work, nearly 5,400 jobs have been created or retained in the region, with an impact of more than $294 million in direct payroll.  The Milwaukee 7 has also leveraged millions
of dollars in federal earmarks, state assistance and other municipal investments for business projects that make the Milwaukee Region stronger and a more attractive place to do business.

View the Milwaukee 7 2010 Report: Driving Economic Growth here>>

View the Milwaukee 7 Performance Scorecard here>>

American Micro Detection Systems, Inc., a water technology company, announced it has chosen Milwaukee as the location for its manufacturing and support operations. AMDS, headquartered in Stockton, Cal., manufactures sophisticated analytical instruments used to detect contaminants in water and other fluids. The company will initially employ around 10 people when it opens in, but hopes to have several hundred employees in five years. AMDS' decision to locate in Milwaukee is another example of how water technology is becoming a strong driver of economic development in southeast Wisconsin. AMDS considered two other U.S. cities before selecting Milwaukee for its operations. Key factors in the company's decision were the region's focus on water technology and our core group of companies and academic institutions, including UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences; a deep pool of manufacturing talent; assets that support manufacturing; and investment by Badger Meter.

Helios USA has chosen Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley as the site for its first photovoltaic manufacturing plant serving the growing North American market. The first solar module manufacturer in Wisconsin, Helios will begin full production in the fourth quarter of 2010 and utilize an advanced, automated production platform to serve both the commercial and residential markets. Helios selected Milwaukee based on its energy-related manufacturing heritage and its skilled labor pool. The company expects to hire 10 to 20 people by the end of 2010 and more than 50 by the following summer. Multiple entities collaborated to lure Helios to Milwaukee, including the Milwaukee 7, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin Department of Commerce and BizStarts.

Spanish train manufacturer Talgo, Inc. is locating its first U.S. assembly plant in Milwaukee.  Talgo, based in Madrid, had considered a half dozen sites for its U.S. plant. The 134,000-square-foot Milwaukee facility will assemble Talgo high speed trains for the entire United States and create up to 125 jobs initially.

Last year, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle made a bold commitment to purchase two 14-car trains for $47 million from Talgo for Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago line, with an option to buy two more for a planned extension of that route from Milwaukee to Madison. The federal government has awarded the state $810 million in stimulus money for the Milwaukee-to-Madison route.

Ingeteam Inc., a Spanish manufacturer of wind turbine generators, will bring 275 jobs to a new factory to be built in Milwaukee that will serve as the company’s North American headquarters. The new 50,000-square-foot plant will be constructed in the Menomonee Valley, a former brownfield that has received national awards for its revitalization. The Zamudio, Spain-based company selected Milwaukee from 80 sites.

“Milwaukee has a labor pool experienced in electrical manufacturing…the area also boasts prestigious universities with some of the highest-ranked engineering departments in the country," said Aitor Sotes, CEO of Ingeteam Inc.

Another lure was a new state tax credit provided to companies that create full-time jobs.

Republic Airways Holdings Inc., parent company of Midwest
Airlines, plans to move 800 jobs to Milwaukee and Oak Creek, including the relocation of at least 300 jobs from Frontier Airlines, comprising 200 heavy-maintenance positions now located in Denver and about 100 call-center employees now stationed in Las Cruces, N.M. Republic acquired Frontier in a deal that closed Oct. 1.

The consolidation plan will retain 800 jobs and create up to 800 more. Job functions include flight crews, heavy aircraft maintenance and technical support and reservations call center. “We are pleased that Republic Airlines chose to expand in Milwaukee County,” Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said. “This is a big win for the Milwaukee 7 and for General Mitchell International Airport.”

Dickten Masch Plastics, a producer of plastic components for
the power tool, electronics, small engine, construction, health care and food industries, is planning a $2.8 million expansion to its Waukesha County plant. The addition will create 75 jobs and includes a new production line.

Clifton Gunderson, one of the nation’s largest certified
public accounting and consulting firms, relocated its
corporate headquarters from Peoria, Ill. to Wauwatosa on
June 1, 2009. 

The move was made in conjunction with the promotion of Krista McMasters to CEO. Only the fourth CEO in Clifton Gunderson’s nearly 50 year history, McMasters also is the first and only female to serve as CEO among the nation’s top 25 certified public accounting firms in the history of the profession.

“Milwaukee is a vibrant city, rich in culture and history, and locating our firm headquarters here reinforces our commitment to Wisconsin and to our local clients.” said McMasters. “This decision will allow us to better support and meet the needs of our Milwaukee-area clients while continuing to provide the high level of quality and service they have come to expect from us.”

Gehl Corporation, the West Bend manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment, considered relocating to another state. At risk were 190 high paying headquarter jobs, and the potential of more than 80 new R&D positions. Thanks to a regional response coordinated by the Milwaukee 7 that
included $7 million in state, county and municipal incentives, Gehl built a new $20 million headquarters and R&D facility that stabilizes and anchors West Bend.


C&D Technologies, a manufacturer of industrial batteries headquartered in Pennsylvania with a plant in Milwaukee, was having workforce and permitting issues here. Milwaukee 7 spearheaded a regional response, which helped establish 50 additional jobs. M7 then helped secure a federal earmark for the company that led to an initial commitment to bring a multimillion-dollar lithium-ion battery research facility and up to 150 new jobs to Milwaukee, beating out Pennsylvania and Shanghai, China, for the plant.

Germanischer Lloyd, a German engineering firm, opened
a U.S. subsidiary in New Berlin to develop wind power
products and technologies targeted at Midwest wind farms.
The company plans to expand to 15 engineers and expects to
hire from local schools such as the Milwaukee School of Engineering.